Events - Daily

James Shapiro (U. Chicago) "The read-write genome"
The colloquium will discuss the ways that cells inscribe information onto and into their genomes at different time scales. These range from individual cell cycles to evolutionary time. The main emphasis will be on genomic inscriptions at the DNA level. Contrary to popular impressions, DNA inscriptions are active, non-random processes mediated by well-established cellular and molecular mechanisms. A number of different examples of this active DNA writing process in evolution will be described based on genome sequencing data. Some genomic differences between mice and men will be highlighted.

Joseph Henry Room · 12:00 p.m.– 1:00 p.m.

High Energy Theory Seminar - Francesco Benini, Simon Center, Stony Brook - S^2 partition functions: Coulomb vs Higgs localization and vortices
In two-dimensional N=(2,2) R-symmetric theories of vector and chiral multiplets on the two-sphere, the partition function as well as expectation values of supersymmetric operators can be computed with localization techniques. Depending on the choice of localizing term, the partion function can be expressed either as an integral over the Coulomb branch, or as a sum over a discrete Higgs branch of a vortex times an antivortex partition functions. As applications, I will discuss mirror symmetry, I will show equality of the path integrals for "Seiberg-like" dual theories in two dimensions, and present a novel way of computing Gromow-Witten invariants of Calabi-Yau manifolds. PCTS Seminar Room · 2:30 p.m.– 4:00 p.m.